ShotSpotter is now all ears for Worcester

WORCESTER — The loud boom of gunfire rang out through a computer speaker inside the Real Time Crime Center at the Police Department. A group of investigators in the room shook their heads.

"Those were never called in," Police Captain Paul B. Saucier said of the gunshots fired March 23 on Hollis Street.

That is one of several reasons police wanted to install a gunshot detection system called ShotSpotter, which is being used with much success in Boston and Springfield .

Sensors for the system here have been tested and in place since March 1. The department uses it to track gunfire now, but it isn't tapped into ShotSpotter's review center in California. The company and Police Department are working to have their computer systems link up. Capt. Saucier expects the work to be completed soon.

Six square miles of the city are covered by the system — in the Main South, Grafton Hill and Shrewsbury Street neighborhoods and the Canal District. The city used mitigation money from CSX to pay for three square miles and city funds for three more square miles. The cost estimates are: East Side/CSX, $434,300 over three years; Central/Main South, $424,300; another $120,000 to integrate cameras.

More than 200 incidents have been detected by the system without a filter being applied by ShotSpotter. Without the filter, fireworks, trucks and other loud noises can cause an alert. Officers at the Real Time Crime Center listen to the audio and determine with relative ease the noise made by guns or something else. The number of incidents will most likely decrease once the sounds are filtered.

Sitting in front of a computer map of the city, Capt. Saucier clicked on a green icon. He listened to the audio picked up by the sensors. The crackling of fireworks went off, along with loud whistling.

He then moved to another icon and the sound was clearly gunshots. Sensors from almost two miles away can pick up the sound. The icon on the map shows police where they can find evidence within a 25-meter circle.

When the system is fully running, response time will be cut tremendously, police officials said. Alert systems will be placed in the dispatch center, cruisers and officers' mobile devices.

"This is going to dispatch and to the officers on the street within 30 seconds," Capt. Saucier said. "Through the normal route (a person calling 911), only 20 percent of all gunshots calls are actually called in."

And it can take 11 minutes for someone to call in gunshots, the captain said.

Police Chief Gary J. Gemme knows gunshot calls are under-reported in the city. The statistic might increase with the new technology in place, but he believes it will help police develop better strategies to help keep the community safer. The city averages 30 shootings involving a victim per year.

"Once we identify these locations we can begin to develop strategies to combat gun violence that is going on in the community," he said.

The integration of cameras moving toward the sound of gunfire will help police as well, Chief Gemme said.

The cameras could pick up videotape of suspects, vehicles or victims. While reviewing the Boston Police Department's system, Capt. Saucier said they showed him videotape of a suspect throwing a gun under a car. The video camera caught the images because it was tied in to ShotSpotter.

Worcester police often see uncooperative victims in shooting cases, sometimes after the victim appears at a local hospital. They can be tied to gangs, afraid of retaliation if they talk or think about retaliating themselves.

"Noncooperation seems to be a badge of honor," Chief Gemme said. "In many cases there is a threat of potential retaliation of that they are going to handle it on their own."

ShotSpotter can help show police where a victim was shot, find witnesses and evidence, Capt. Saucier said.

"It's a game changer just in terms of locating witnesses," the captain said. "When most of our shootings come in, the victim is at the hospital."

The system is only as good as what police do with it though. The department has specialized units, such as the Street Violence Prevention Unit and Shooting Response Team, aimed at getting guns off the streets and curtailing violence. Those units work closely with detectives, the gang unit and the vice squad.

Capt. Saucier knows some might contend that money used to purchase and use the system could have been used to pay for officers.

The system works 24 hours a day, all week long — something one or two single officers cannot do, the chief pointed out.

"This is just another weapon in our arsenal to combat gun violence," Capt. Saucier said.